Deborah Jane Jenswold Easling Elhart Klotzbach Miltz, 87, passed away Friday, June 1, 2012, at her home in Leland, Mich., from liver cancer.
She was born on June 14, 1924, to John and Marion (Townsend) Jenswold, in Duluth, Minn. She was predeceased by her parents and three siblings, her sister Barbara Jenswold Landfield; her brother, John Jenswold Jr.; and her youngest sister Marion Jenswold Dickerson.
Jane was married to Newton Paul Easling on Oct. 1, 1945; he died Aug. 11, 1968. She married Baxter J. Elhart Dec. 26, 1971, and he passed away in July 1984. On Dec. 28, 1986, Jane married Winton J. Klotzbach in Fort Myers, Fla., in the presence of their families. They spent their winters in Fort Myers until moving to Pinehurst in 2001; they spent the remainder of each year in Leland, Mich. Win passed away on Dec. 17, 2006. Jane married Roland W. Miltz on March 15, 2009 in Wayne, Pa., where he died a few months later.
Jane lived a very full life, and wanted people to know she was blessed by her wonderful family, and by her husbands Paul N. Easling, Baxter J. Elhart, Winton J. Klotzbach, and Bill Miltz.
She is survived by her children, David Paul Easling and Gail (Krippaehne) Easling, of Puyllup, Wash.; Martin McClelland Easling, of Leland, Mich.; Roger Alan and Jeanette (Cain) Easling, of Sequim, Wash.; and Martha Marion (Easling, Elhart) and Glenn Moss of Cass City, Mich.; as well as 12 Easling grandchildren: Sarah (Lee), Benjamin , Jonathan, James, Peter, Andrew, Joel, Alicia (Lantzer), Heather, Bethany, Erin (Judd) Alan Easling; 11 great-grandchildren; and two on the way.
From her marriage to Baxter Elhart she is survived by stepchildren Craig W. and Michele (Long) Elhart, of Traverse City, Mich.; Lisa Jo (Elhart) and Alan Craker, of Omena, Mich.; and Patricia (Elhart) and Mike Elsner, of Vestal, N.Y.; plus six step-grandchildren: Amy, Nathan, Spencer and Sophie Elhart; Jason Elsner, and Kimberly (Elsner) Nunez; and one great-grandchild Jaxon Elhart.
From her marriage to Winton J. Klotzbach, she is survived by stepdaughters Jane (Klotzbach) and William Wood Jr., of Wilmington, Del.; Carolyn (Klotzbach) and E. Lyle Keating Jr. of San Mateo, Calif.; Debbie (Klotzbach) and Rich Bardsley, of Traverse City, Mich.; and stepson Gary and Pam Klotzbach of Traverse City; with seven step-grandchildren: William Wood III, Susan (Wood) Waesco, Ashley (Keating) Brunner, Chip Keating, Sarah (Klotzbach) Wood, Thomas Klotzbach, and Alex Bardsley; and five step-great-grandchildren: Daniel Wood, Jacob Wood, Evelyn Wood, Michael Waesco and Nicholas Waesco.
Other special persons of interest are Jane’s sister-in-law Marilyn Elhart from Zeeland, Mich., and her sister-in-law Janet Jenswold from Chico, Calif., as well as her beloved nieces and nephews Katherine Dickerson, Peggy Jenswold Stephens, John and Kathy Jenswold, Mark and Janet (Jenswold) Duerr, Tom and Betsy Jenswold, and Bob, Scottand Susan Landfield; cousins Nancy Anderson, of Cedar Hill, Texas, and John (Jack) H. Dahle, of Denver; and two very special friends: Evon Hartsell Easling, of Leland, Mich., and Niki Bye Elhart, of Traverse City.
As a child in Duluth, she attended the State Normal School for grades K-8, East Junior High School for ninth grade, and for 10th to 12th grades she attended Stanbrook Hall, a Catholic girls’ school. Jane was active in Girl Scouts and graduated from Duluth Business University and from Rockford College in Rockford, Ill., before marrying Paul Easling.
Jane was a longtime member of the First Congregational Church in Traverse City. She also served on the board of directors of the Peninsula Community Library, the YMCA, and the Michigan Child and Family services, as well as being an Osteopathic Hospital volunteer while living in Traverse City.
In Leland, she was a library volunteer at the Leland Township Library, and a member of the Country Club of Leland. In recent years, while living in Pinehurst through the winter, Jane was also involved in the P.E.O. organization, Chapter AZ, as well as being an active member of Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church of Southern Pines, and the Midland Country Club.
Her interests were her family, golfing, antiquing, sewing club, supper club, reading, bridge, needlework, and just being with friends. Jane loved and embraced company and friends through the years. She traveled extensively, visiting family and friends throughout the country and traveling worldwide.
Her last trip was in August/September 2011 to Washington state, where she attended two of her granddaughters’ weddings and a shared a special time with her family.
Visitation was held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 7, at Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, in Traverse City. The funeral was held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 8, at First Congregational Church, Traverse City, with luncheon in the fellowship hall before burial at Ogdensburg Cemetery.
The family would like to thank hospice for their excellent care, as well as her caregivers Ebba Raynor, Isabel C. (Rosie) Lara and Dorothy Sander, and all of the many family and friends whose love and kindness supported Jane and her family through this most difficult and challenging time.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be given to the Leelanau Conservancy.